About the Role
We are looking for a Chief Operating Officer (COO) to lead and scale the operational execution of ABC’s strategy, technology, and scientific capabilities. This is a mission-critical executive role responsible for building, owning, and continuously improving the company’s operating model as we scale across Europe, the U.S., and other global markets.
The COO will ensure that ABC operates with reliability, clarity, and speed—supporting rapid growth in a regulated, data-intensive diagnostics environment while maintaining high standards of quality and compliance.
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be based in Stockholm and will report directly to the CEO.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Leadership & Scaling
Own end-to-end day-to-day operations across R&D, engineering, product, laboratory operations, design, customer operations, and commercial delivery.
Design and evolve a scalable operating model that supports rapid growth and international expansion.
Execution, Planning & Delivery
Translate company strategy into clear operational plans with defined ownership, milestones, and measurable outcomes.
Drive prioritisation, accountability, and consistent execution across teams.
Systems, Processes & Governance
Design and implement systems, workflows, and governance structures that support quality, speed, and reliability.
Establish repeatable and auditable processes suitable for scaling to high volumes and multi-site operations.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Ensure strong alignment between scientific, technical, clinical, regulatory, and commercial teams.
Identify and resolve dependencies and operational risks while fostering a culture of collaboration and trust.
Global Expansion
Lead the operational setup of new geographies, including the U.S., covering regulatory structures, licensing, logistics, laboratory operations, staffing, compliance, and technology deployment.
Risk, Quality & Compliance
Partner with quality, legal, and data governance functions to ensure compliance with applicable regulations across laboratory operations, clinical workflows, and data environments.
People, Structure & Culture
Build, mentor, and scale operational leadership teams.
Foster a culture of ownership, clarity, and high performance.
Strategic Programs
Lead cross-company initiatives such as enterprise customer deployments, automation programs, technology rollouts, and operational readiness for new products.
About You
You bring senior operational leadership experience and are comfortable working in complex, regulated, and fast-scaling environments.
We believe you have:
Experience in senior operational roles (e.g. COO, VP Operations, General Manager, or similar).
Experience scaling operations across multiple geographies; experience with U.S. operations is an advantage.
Ability to operate at the intersection of technology, science, operations, and regulation.
Strong systems thinking and the ability to design structure while maintaining organisational agility.
A delivery-focused mindset and comfort operating in ambiguous, fast-moving environments.
Strong communication and stakeholder-management skills across diverse, multidisciplinary teams.
A hands-on leadership approach with the ability to move between strategic and operational levels.
The practical stuff
Location: Stockholm
Reporting to: CEO
Compensation: Market-based compensation and benefits
Vacation: 30 days annual leave
Work authorization: A valid EU work permit is required. Applicants who are not EU citizens must be able to provide current and valid work-permit documentation.
Diversity & Inclusion
We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under EU or local law.
Data Protection Notice
By applying for this role, you consent to the processing of your personal data in accordance with applicable data-protection laws (including GDPR) and our recruitment privacy policy.
ABC Labs is a technology-native care provider, diagnostics lab, biobank, and research organisation. Creating unified, exponentially improving, public health products.
We are innovating at the frontier of diagnostics by combining software, robotics, data science, medical consultation, lab automation, and operational excellence to create end-to-end products that span the entire spectrum of user needs — and become exponentially more efficient over time.
Founded as an impact project during the pandemic, ABC grew into Sweden’s largest COVID-19 testing lab, conducting up to 28% of national testing. Our R&D efforts have led to three national screening programs and nine publications.
We are now applying this infrastructure to a new frontier: substance abuse testing at workplaces — a complex, highly regulated, and fragmented value chain growing at >10% CAGR across Europe and the U.S., and in urgent need of scalable, intelligent solutions. In parallel, we are building a research project utilizing long term multi-omics and biochemistry data to answer fundamental questions about health and human biology, an initiative we believe can become one of the most impactful scientific endeavors in the decade to come.
